Macca and Paul are joined live on air by Mitch Brown, Former West Coast Eagles Defender, “Calling People In, Not Out”; the first openly LGBTIQA+ past or present AFL Men’s Player in history.

Two weeks ago, former West Coast Eagles defender Mitch Brown and his partner, Lou Keck, posted a statement on social media responding to an onslaught of hate they had been on the receiving end of, including death threats.

Just over a month prior, Brown was thrust into the spotlight when he came out as the first openly bisexual man in AFL history. It was a moment that transcended the Australian sporting community, particularly amongst young people.

In the five weeks that followed, the 36-year-old became somewhat of an unofficial spokesperson for queer issues within the AFL community.

While Brown said the experience has been overwhelmingly positive for the most part, there have been times it has been exhausting and lonely.

He made national headlines in late September after he posted to his Instagram stories that “any form of homophobia” was “loser behaviour” while referencing Geelong player Bailey Smith’s social media captions during the club’s Mad Monday celebrations. This sparked a mountain of pushback.

With his close to 10 years of experience within the AFL, including being at costume parties where gay jokes were casually thrown around, he wanted to continue the conversation about the wider impact of those quips and gags.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-09/mitch-brown-hate-after-speaking-out-on-queer-issues/105862948

The post Sat, 11th Oct, 2025: Mitch Brown, Former West Coast Eagles Defender, “Calling People In, Not Out” appeared first on Saturday Magazine.